Utica Observer-Dispatch: UticaOD

UTICA — The local office of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a donation Monday from a local author who had a personal connection to Sara Anne Wood.Nancy Troast Waldeck, a retired school teacher for the Sauquoit Valley School District, was Sara Anne's sixth-grade teacher. She's also one of eight authors to publish a story in a book about overcoming challenges called "Rise Above: 8 Stories of Life [...]

UTICA — Hotel Street looked a bit like Hollywood on Monday thanks to a film crew shooting on location in Utica.Police barricades were set up on each end of the street as of early Monday morning, and the actors being filmed appeared to be fixing a vehicle in the street with the hood up.Film crew members on site declined to provide comment, however.Paul Buckley, commissioner [...]

ALBANY — There's now a national veterans cemetery not far from where John Martin grew up along the upper Hudson River, but when it came time to pick a burial place for the soldier 68 years after he was killed in the Korean War, his niece picked the family plot at a nearby cemetery."Nope, he's going in the plot with his mom," Tamaris Martin Dolton said Monday, when the Pentagon announced Martin's remains were identified nearly seven decades after he died. "She's been without [...]

Carlos Ghosn, who became one of the auto industry's most powerful executives by engineering a turnaround at the Japanese manufacturer, will be fired for allegedly underreporting his income and misusing company funds, the automaker said.

Those who frequently travel the Commerical Drive route in New Hartford will see a hole in the surroundings this week.The former Kirby's Grill and Taphouse officially closed Sept. 9 and now is being demolished.The restaurant opened on Aug. 16, 1969, as Mr. Steak, and was an area favorite for decades.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump isn't committing to a previous pledge to keep chief of staff John Kelly for the remainder of his term, part of widespread speculation about staffing changes that could soon sweep through his administration.Trump, in a wide-ranging interview that aired on "Fox News Sunday," praised Kelly's work ethic and much of what he brings to the position but added, "There are certain things that I don't like that he does.""There are a couple [...]

The suit, filed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, argues that Whitaker's appointment violates the Constitution because he has not been confirmed by the Senate.

Discoloration. Dangerous bacteria. Chemical contaminants.These are just a few of the things that regional water authorities try to keep out of the local drinking water.Sometimes, they fail — at least temporarily. In Ilion, for example, village officials still are working to correct the problems that led to discolored water for many over the summer.But more often, officials say, they succeed — ensuring that the water local residents drink [...]

CHICAGO — It is Saturday morning, and 10-year-old Henry Hailey is up at the crack of dawn. Still in PJs, his microphone-equipped headphones glowing blue in the dim basement, he fixates on the popular online game "Fortnite" on a large screen."What?! Right as I was about to finish it, I died," he calls out disappointedly to his friend Gus, a fellow fifth-grader playing the game from his home just a few blocks away. "Dude, I should NOT have died."The digital battles [...]

Up to 400 people fanned out Sunday to search the ash and rubble where homes once stood before flames roared through the Sierra foothills town of Paradise and surrounding communities, killing at least 77 people in the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century.

PARADISE, Calif. — The search for remains of victims of the devastating Northern California wildfire has taken on new urgency as rain in the forecast could complicate those efforts while also bringing relief to firefighters on the front lines.Up to 400 people fanned out Sunday to search the ash and rubble where homes once stood before flames roared through the Sierra foothills town of Paradise and surrounding communities, killing at least 77 people in the deadliest U.S. [...]

CHICAGO — No doubt about it now, the Bears really are serious about winning the NFC North.Khalil Mack had a sack and fumble recovery, Eddie Jackson returned an interception for a touchdown and Chicago tightened its grip on the division with a 25-20 victory over the second-place Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night.Mack and Jackson led a dominant effort by the defense. And Chicago (7-3) took a big step toward its first division championship since 2010.The [...]

UTICA — A house that is slowly being fixed on Arlington Terrrace is the subject of this week’s Public Eye.A reader wrote to the Observer-Dispatch with details of a house that was crumbling."The roof is apparently leaking, because the owner has attempted to repair it with tar paper,” the reader wrote. “The front window has decayed wood, and looks as though it could fall out at any moment.”The reader also said the garage door is [...]

EDINBURG, Texas — A man who disappeared on the last day of his 2008 murder trial has been captured in Mexico and returned to Texas, authorities said.Hidalgo County prosecutors said in a news release Friday that 35-year-old Oscar Davila Rodriguez was returned to the U.S. Wednesday. The statement didn't include details about how or where he was captured."The tireless work of dedicated law enforcement on both sides of the border ensured that justice was served," [...]

BALTIMORE — Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Sunday he's donating $1.8 billion to his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University, to boost financial aid for low- and middle-income students.The Baltimore university said the contribution — the largest ever to any education institution in the U.S. — will allow Johns Hopkins to eliminate student loans in financial aid packages starting next fall. The university will instead offer scholarships that [...]

ALBANY — New York state officials say they are spending $74 million to help fund local water infrastructure projects in the Hudson Valley and the North Country.Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced $49.1 million in grants to support 38 projects in the mid-Hudson Valley and $24.6 million in grants to support 13 projects in the North Country. The state grants announced Friday will help fund part of the costs for municipal drinking water and clean water projects.The grants are [...]